Tool with retractable bit



Jan. 10, 1956 v. c. BROWN 2,730,145

TOOL WITH RETRACTABLE BIT Filed Jan. 7, 1955 A? /4' 4. ze /9 3 'L "5 E z'z 6' E" Z Z /Z 1 a 3 1: 6 U4 4 M 2 I a 2 1: 3 ,4 I: Q 2 y 2.

United States Patent O TOOL WITH RETRACTABLE BIT Vincent C. Brown, Big Stone City, S. Dak.

Application January 7, 1953, Serial No. 330,110

2 Claims. (Cl. 14564) This invention relates to a novel tool of extremely simple construction having a slidably mounted element provided with dissimilar bits at the ends thereof, elther of which may be positioned in an exposed, operative position nonrotatably with respect to a handle.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a novel tool including a handle and shank having bit ends with means for positioning either of said shank ends in an exposed, operative position and for nonrotatably keying the shank to the handle with either end thereof in an extended position.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the tool with the parts disposed during adjustment of the tool for positioning one of the bit ends in an extended position and keyed to the handle;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the tool taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 2 but showing the shank keyed to the handle with one of the bit ends in an extended position;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the tool as it will appear looking from the lower end of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of one end of the handle taken at right angles to Figures 2 and 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the multiple bit tool in its entirety is designated generally 7 and includes an elongated hollow handle 3 comprising an intermediate tube portion 9 and end portions 10 and 11 which are likewise hollow. The end portions 10 and 11 correspond in size and shape internally and externally; however, the end portion 10 is preferably formed integral with one end of the intermediate portion 9 and the other end of said intermediate portion is internally threaded, as seen at 12, to threadedly receive an externally threaded extension 13 on the end portion or cap 11. The end portions 10 and 11 adjacent their outer ends are preferably provided with annular enlargements or flanges 14 to facilitate gripping the handle 8 with either end thereof in an innermost or outermost position.

The outer ends of the hollow end portions 10 and 11 are each provided with an end wall 15 having a transverse slot 16 formed therein which opens outwardly of said end wall and into the hollow interior of the end portion 10 or 11. Each end wall 15 is also provided with a central opening 17 with which the slot 16 intersects and which forms an enlargement of the intermediate portion of the slot. The outer side of each end wall 15 is additionally provided with a transverse groove 18 which intersects with the opening 17 at a right angle to the slot 16. The openings 17 of the end walls 15 as well as the slots 16 and grooves 18 of said end walls are disposed in alignment.

2,730,145 C Patented Jan. 10, 1956 An elongated rod or shank 19 of a length greater than the handle 8, extends longitudinally through said handle and the end portions thereof are sized to extend slidably through the end wall openings 17. A pair of spaced collars or stops 20 are secured by suitable fastenings 21 to the intermediate portion of the rod or shank 19 and are preferably spaced equal distances from the adjacent ends of said rod. The rod or shank 19 has pins 22 extending diametrically therethrough and outwardly from opposite sides thereof. The pins 22 are disposed between the ends of the rod 19 and the collars 20. The rod 19 carries two expansion coil springs 23 and 24 which are disposed thereon between the collars 20 and pins 22. The ends of the rod or shank 19 are provided with dissimilar tool bits, formed by the shaping of said ends, one of which may be a Phillips-type screw driver bit 25 and the other of which may be a conventional screw driver bit 26. However, other types of tool bits may be formed on the ends of the rod 19.

The rod 19 and parts carried thereby may obviously be assembled in the handle 8 by removing the end portion or cap 11. With the handle 8 disposed intermediate of the ends of the rod 19, both of the ends 25 and 26 thereof will project from the handle ends 10 and 11, respectively. Either rod end may be grasped and drawn outwardly and turned to align the pin 22 thereof with the slot 16 of the contiguous handle end. For example, assuming that it is desired to use the bit 25, said end of the rod is pulled outwardly sufficiently to cause the pin 22 adjacent thereto to pass outwardly through the slot 16 of the handle end 10. With said pin 22 spaced outwardly from the handle end 16, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, the rod 19 is turned in either direction a quarter turn to align the pin with the groove 13. The adjacent spring 23 will have been compressed between the wall 15 of the handle end 10 and the collar 2%? adjacent thereto so that when the rod 19 is released the spring 23 will draw its end 25 inwardly of the handle for seating the pin 22 in said groove 18 and thereby keying the rod to the handle so that the tool 7 can then be used in a conventional manner as a Phillipstype screw driver.

The conventional screw driver bit 26 may be similarly positioned in an exposed position beyond the other handle end 11 and keyed to the handle by engagement of the other pin 22 and the other groove 18, so that either bit 25 or 26 may be readily positioned in an operative position and with the other bit in a retracted position within the handle 8, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tool of the character described comprising an elongated hollow handle having end walls provided with central openings, transverse slots and external transverse grooves, said openings and slots being disposed in alignment, said grooves being disposed at angles to the slots, an elongated tool bit forming rod extending longitudinally through the hollow handle and having end portions slidably fitting the end wall openings, pins extending diametrically through said rod near to but spaced from the rod ends and projecting radially from the rod, spaced abutment members secured to the rod between said pins, and expansion coil springs disposed on the rod between the abutment members and pins, said springs being selectively compressed between an end wall of the handle and the abutment member adjacent thereto for retaining the adjacent pin in engagement with the groove of said end wall for keying the rod to the handle with one of the rod ends in an extended position beyond said last mentioned end wall.

2. A manually operated tool comprising an elongated hollow handle having end walls provided with aligned openings and aligned slots, said end walls having externally disposed grooves intersecting said openings and disposed at an angle to the slots, an elongated rod of a length greater than the length of said handle and extending therethrough and having end portions slidably and turndbly disposed in the end wall openings, 2. tool bit Eorming one end of said rod, pins extending diametrically through and outwardly from the rod near the ends thereof, abutments fixed to the rod between said pins, expansion coil springs mounted on the rod between the pins and abutments, said springs selectively engaging the end walls of the handle disposed adjacent thereto whereby either of said springs may be compressed between the abutment 15 4 member and end wall individual thereto for releasably retaining. the adjacent pin in the groove of said end wall for non-turnably keying the rod to the handle with the bit in either an exposed position beyond an end of the handle or in a retracted inoperative position within the handle, said rod being turnable in the openings when the pins are disengaged from the grooves to align the pins and slots for sliding movement of the pins through said slots into or out of the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

